Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Rookie Camp Opens

Posted May 2nd, 2026 | 1 Comment »

Eagles rookies got on the field on Friday. They are prospects no more. They are Eagles. You had the draft picks, 8 officially signed UDFAs and a bunch of tryout invitees. These are very basic practices so don’t expect too much.

Makai Lemon got a lot of attention since he was the star of the team’s draft class.

You see quickness, great body control and natural hands. We saw all of that on his college tape, but it is always reassuring to see it from the player once he’s in your uniform and on your practice field. You can see a real difference in him and the guys after him. Lemon makes it look natural, almost easy. That’s what you want from a first round pick. If things are forced, stiff or almost mechanical, that’s not going to work in the NFL.

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Jimmy Bama put up his practice notes. I’m glad he covered Eli Stowers and his blocking. Here are some quotes from the rookie TE.

“I think that moving from quarterback and getting into blocking is just new. It’s really new, because quarterbacks are never asked to block. It’s something that’s new and you just have to learn the technique. That wasn’t necessarily a hurdle, but just the thing that you have to learn the most. You really have to get your technique down, and a lot of it is reps so you get the muscle memory.

“The other side of it is just the will to want to block, and I have that and I want to be the best blocker that I can be. And from that point it’s just learning my techniques and really practicing it.”

There is no disputing that his in-line blocking was bad. That doesn’t mean he can’t develop that skill in the NFL. One of the things that gives me hope is that Stowers is tough with the ball in his hands. He doesn’t avoid contact. He will go through a tackler to try to get more yards, especially if he’s anywhere close to the end zone. That toughness can be tapped into to help him become an effective blocker.

The real key to blocking is desire. Puka Nacua is a good blocker because he’s tough and battles. Grant Calcaterra struggles most of the time and his body language tells you he doesn’t want to do it. If you embrace blocking, you can improve. Stowers is addressing the issue and knows eyes are on him. Hopefully that motivates him to really work on it.

He did show good effort at times in college. There is something to work with.

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The UDFAs are:

DB Kapena Gushiken
S Tucker Large
LB Deontae Lawson
S Maximus Pulley
OG Jaeden Roberts
LS Rocco Underwood
ED Joshua Weru
TE Dae’Quan Wright

I wrote notes on these players in a previous post.

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There were some veterans free agents brought in for a look.

OG Michael Jordan – 6-6, 312 – He’s got 49 career starts. Started 9 games for Tampa last year. If the Eagles want a veteran backup on the inside, he would make some sense.

ED Isaiah Thomas – 6-5, 272 – Has good size, but minimal experience. He’s only played in 12 games and was out of the league last year. One career sack. I did like him coming out of college.

RB Elijah Mitchell – 5-10, 200 – Played well for the Niners in the past. Has 1,523 career rushing yards. Averages 4.7 ypc. Was with KC last year, but barely played. Eagles might want someone to help eat up reps in TC.

RB Khalil Herbert – 5-9, 212 – Has 1, 957 career rushing yards. Averages 4.7 ypc. Another solid vet who could make sense for depth this summer. Was with the Jets last year.

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Here are a couple of quick videos from beat reporters. They focused on DT Uar Bernard.

This dude is one heck of an athlete. I sure hope they can tap into his potential.

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Here is a random nugget.

He’s still getting traded, but there isn’t animosity between him and the team.

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This is the first camp without Jeff Stoutland since the Andy Reid era. That means new drills and new ways of doing things.

Kuper knows the new scheme well and is a good fit from that perspective. Now we have to find out what kind of teacher he is. Nick Sirianni didn’t make this hire lightly. He knows having a good OL coach is critical to having a good OL. Kuper has good players to work with so he should deliver good results. He’ll definitely be under the microscope this season.

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One Comment on “Rookie Camp Opens”

  1. 1 Eagles News: ESPN says Philadelphia made 2 of the best 27 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft - Philly Fan Radio said at 2:33 AM on May 3rd, 2026:

    […] Rookie Camp Opens – Iggles BlitzMakai Lemon got a lot of attention since he was the star of the team’s draft class. You see quickness, great body control and natural hands. We saw all of that on his college tape, but it is always reassuring to see it from the player once he’s in your uniform and on your practice field. You can see a real difference in him and the guys after him. Lemon makes it look natural, almost easy. That’s what you want from a first round pick. If things are forced, stiff or almost mechanical, that’s not going to work in the NFL. […]